Some years ago, a turfgrass company asked me to test some turf. The new grass sounded like a good idea. It was called Reveille, a cross of Kentucky bluegrass and Texas native bluegrass, an idea developed by Dr. James Read, Texas A&M grass breeder and geneticist in Dallas.

It looked like Kentucky bluegrass but was supposed to be hardy enough to withstand the Texas sun and heat. One theory was that it would grow better in shadier areas than buffalograss and would make a good companion. Great idea, I thought. Let's try it.

Brown spots began appearing in Reveille turfgrass, a cross of Kentucky bluegrass and Texas native bluegrass.

(Howard Garrett/Special Contributor)

Brown spots appear

We planted solid sod in the backyard near our pool and it looked really good. I was excited about this new discovery, but after a few weeks, up jumped the devil! Brown spots started to appear, they spread quickly, and appeared to be disease or some kind of phytotoxicity, but I was puzzled.

Within a couple of weeks, the brown spots had spread and the entire planting was almost completely dead. Turns out it was a phytotoxicity, or rather a fidotoxicity, and the culprit was our fido — Bernese mountain dog puppy Tully.

A common problem

Thank you, Tully, for proving to me that this new crossbreed grass was not tough enough to recommend to homeowners or landscapers. She led me to look into how to solve pet urine damage in all kinds of turf. It's a question I get often.

First of all — no offense to women — but girl dogs, and cats too, I suppose, are more damaging to turf than the boys. Girls pee straight down and boys aim higher, but I think the chemical/hormone difference is also a factor.

Reveille turfgrass, a cross of Kentucky bluegrass and Texas native bluegrass, is known to grow better in shade.

(Howard Garrett/Special Contributor)

Solving pet urine damage

Whatever animal made your brown spots, the solution is basically the same: Don't leave pets out in turf areas all day. When they go out with you, you'll know what spots need to be treated.

Water the assaulted spots and toss down some compost or humate. Even better is to apply zeolite, a natural rock mineral available in farm stores and some garden centers. Some products are sold as horse stable odor control. Some cat litter products are also 100 percent zeolite. Just check the labels.

Sprinkle some of the zeolite on the damaged spots. Done before the spots turn brown and die is best, but even after the grass has been killed, the zeolite will help the surrounding grass fill in over the dead areas. Zeolite grabs and holds the ammonia and eliminates the toxicity of the urine. It can be used as a preventative on the entire lawn at about 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet.